This is a very zen-like experience. The brutal climb up the mummy mountain side is excellent, and the walk stays above 10,000 feet until you begin your final descent back to the road. Wonderful. Bristlecones are stalwart and god-like!

I climbed via Big Falls route. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to the summit. There was hail and lightning at the summit. Took the south loop down so that I could see the plane crash. Great climb.

day two in my quest for four ultra-prominence peaks in four days brought me to charleston peak. this peak was much more lush than hayford. the, little mentioned, false summit provided a some frustration before reaching the summit to what was otherwise a relaxed, uneventful climing day. also bagged griffith on the way out.

North Loop to Summit down South Loop to Griffith and back to North Loop Trailhead.Date Climbed: Jun 2, 2006

Nice weather, with a little snow on the North Loop Trail. Stop at the plane wreck while heading back on the South Loop Trail and took some pictures. This was a big 'circle-loop' hike that I did under 8 hours.

Perfect weather w/ a nice breeze and good company make for a great day. Big Falls is really flowing and several snow patches in avy chutes made for fun glisade on the way down. Lot's of other large falls are flowing on the way up that are seldom seen. Big Falls is approximately 7 miles round trip w/ 4000' plus of elevation gain and one of the most direct routes to summit.

In May of 1990, I climbed this one with Jerry Faircloth. This was at least my 5th time on the summit. I had previously summited via Trail Canyon and the north loop on November 1, 1980 (solo) and in the 1970's with my dad and two brothers. The previous 2 times up the south loop were with fellow scouts Paul Utz, Jay Groesbeck, Bruce Koellicker, Mark Nilsen, and my 2 brothers and my Dad. In the summer of 1994 I led a group of scouts up Carpenter Canyon from the Pahrump side, but we turned around and went back down after getting to Peak Spring.

I arrived in Las Vegas (to attend a conference) by plane in the aftenoon and saw on the approach that there appeared to be minimal snow on the peak so I decided to get a little workout in before calling it a day. I pulled into the staircase parking area at 3:30pm and was on the South Loop Trail at 4pm. Darkness was approaching but a beautiful near-full moon was on the rise and it was so bright that I never had to use my headlamp. It took me about 2.5 hours to reach the top of the ridge. The lower trail had only brief sections of frozen compact snow which was not a problem, even in trail running shoes. The hike along the ridge was straightforward and largely protected from the strong wind coming up from the east. About halfway up the ridge I exchanged greetings with another solo hiker who was on the way down. On the final approach up the exposed, barren slope there was a fair amount of compact windblown snow and the wind was steady and heavy. A few unexpected gusts litterally knocked me on my butt. It was quite cold but I was dressed appropriately. I arrived at the summit at 8:30pm and didn't stay long due to the lack of protection (the pit was pretty much snowed in). I didn't bother to sign the register for fear of losing it in the wind, but it was truly beautiful under the clear skies in the stark moonlight. The flag was making a terrible racket and I couldn't see heading down the North Loop in those conditions so I went back down via the well protected the South Loop Trail and arrived back at the car at 11:30pm - very nice trip!

I climbed to the top of Mt. Charleston with a group of five people including SusanM. It was windy for most of the day along the entire ridgeline. We watched Ron put a new flag on the summit as the wind was blowing at least 50 mph. This was a fun hike even though it was long. It was worth it for the great views from the top. Next one to climb - Mummy Mountain.

With towering thunderstorms near the peak and thunder every few minutes I didn't have a lot of hope of making the summit but timing was all - I got there during a brief interlude of clear skies and lighter winds than I had on most of the ridge.

I took the South Loop trail up but soon lost the trail in the debris from last year's major avalanche so ended up bushwhacking up the canyon to the left of the waterfall on the west of Echo Cliff then ascended the ridge until I found the trail. I passed five groups of hikers (who evidently did not have my navigation problems) but saw only two people past mid-switchback level on the ascent and no one for the remainder of the trek.

I was treated to a hailstorm, 40 degree temperatures, 30 mph winds, some lightning and a lot of thunder but once at the top, the skies started clearing, it warmed up to the mid fifties and it was an enjoyable hike/run back down North Loop/Trail Canyon. 4.5 hours up, 3 hours down. BTW, despite other reports of distances, my GPS said this was 18.1 miles and 5,300' total vertical (due to the many ups and down on the route.))

This has got to be one of the coolest Mountains I have evr climbed. You go through so mant ecological zones on you way to the summit that it is staggering. Jennifer & I did this as an overnighter. We camped in a beutiful meadow surrounded by Bristlecone Pines just before treeline. The views were majestic espcially those of Mummy Mountain. When we arrived back in Vegas we mustered what energy was left in out "disco legs and boogied the night away at The Joint in the Hard Rock Cafe Casino. Now that's the way to end a mountain adventure.

Set List:

I.

Jam>Dire Wolf, Welcome to the Underground>Jam>Alligator, Again & Again> China Cat Sunflower> I Know you Rider